The present invention relates generally to electronic commerce, and more specifically to a novel method and system for hosting centralized online point-of-sale (“POS”) activities for a plurality of distributed customers and vendors.
FIG. 1 schematically illustrates the operation and architecture of conventional Internet commerce. Via the Internet 10, a plurality of online customers 12a-12e access or otherwise browse a plurality of vendor web sites 14a-14d. Notably, online customers 12a-12e may access or otherwise browse distributed vendor sites utilizing a variety of devices/utilities having operable electronic or wireless connectivity to the Internet 10. Devices/utilities include but are not limited to a personal computer 12a, Microsoft X-Box 12b, a personal data assistant 12c, conventional telephone 12d, or wireless telephone 12e. Alternately, customers using phones 12d and 12e can contact vendor sites directly, as represented by arrows 7 and 9 respectively.
The operation and architecture of conventional Internet commerce suffers from at least three general drawbacks. First, customers who wish to purchase goods or services from multiple vendor sites during an online shopping session must make multiple purchase transactions. For example, a customer who purchases three goods from three different vendors has to input his or her shipping address, billing address, credit card number, e-mail address, etc. three separate times. Besides simply being frustrating and time consuming, this redundant data entry is prone to errors.
Another general drawback associated with the operation and architecture of conventional Internet commerce is the fact that each purchase transaction results in a separate vendor receipt 16a-16d that the customer must account for and maintain. Due to varying post-transaction practices at the vendor sites, the receipts are e-mailed back to the customer at varying times after the actual time of purchase, only complicating customer accounting and maintenance. This multi-receipt problem also increases the chances that one of the several receipts will be lost—by the customer, the vendor, or otherwise.
Yet another general drawback associated with the operation and architecture of conventional Internet commerce is the lack of centralized tax collection and disbursement. Today, each tax-collecting vendor must independently collect taxes from each of its customers, and disburse those taxes to the appropriate tax collection agencies. Each vendor site may be required to collect and disburse these revenues to all 50 States plus other national and international jurisdiction, resulting in costs for added employees and equipment.
Because each Internet vendor is currently responsible for independently hosting their respective point-of-sale activities (e.g. customer account maintenance, payment processing, receipts, returns, tax collection/disbursement, etc.) an inherent inefficiency exists. Despite the welcome diversity among the broad spectrum of specialized products and services that each individual vendor offers, they must each redundantly staff, host, execute and support the same basic point of sale activities.
What is needed is a method and system for hosting centralized online point of sale activities for a plurality of distributed customers and vendors.